Another way to Lose Someone
by SanninHan23
Summary: Tsunade has felt the pain of losing her lover and her brother, but now she has a chance to save Jiraiya as she takes on Pain herself. Will her love for her friend be enough to save him, or will she fail to save the one closest to her again? Slight romance.


_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto _

_Author's Note: Sorry for the ridiculous amount of time it took for me to publish this. This fanfiction takes place just before the battle between Pain and Jiraiya. I can only hope that some of my previous readers still follow me. Please review and I hope you enjoy._

Tsunade paced around the Hokage's office agitatedly, heels clicking. She came to a stop in front of the window that overlooked the entire village.

''I swear to all the Hokage before me that I will do whatever it takes to protect this village,'' she whispered softly. ''I swear upon my title as the Fifth Hokage.''

Suddenly, she straightened up the wistful expression on her face disappearing to be replaced by a cold, determined look.

''Have you found him yet?'' she asked.

''Yes Lady Hokage,'' the ANBU replied as he shimmered into view, the camouflage fading away.

''We found the leader of the Akatsuki, Pain himself. He is hiding in Amegakure, the Village Hidden in the Rain,'' he said emotionlessly.

''I sent a squad of twenty ANBU to locate and apprehend Pain. Weren't you able to take him?''

''Pain was powerful enough to defeat Hanzo of the Salamander. We thought it wise not to attack.''

Tsunade whirled around in shock. ''Pain defeated Hanzo of the Salamander?'' she asked, shocked by this new revelation. She gathered herself and turned back to the window.

Tsunade considered the new fact for a minute before asking her next question.

''How many men did you lose to get this information?''

A slight tilt of his head was the only outward sign of grief that the ANBU showed.

''The whole squad was killed Lady Hokage. I was the only one who escaped.'' Tsunade dipped her head in acknowledgement of the grim fact. It was time for her to go.

Tsunade bit her thumb and placed her bleeding hand on her desk.

''Summoning Jutsu!'' A palm-sized version of Katsuyu appeared in a puff of smoke.

''Please send one of your clones to Amegakure with this summoning scroll Katsuyu. It is time to meet Pain.''

Katsuyu and the ANBU recoiled in shock.

''Shouldn't you call the other Kage or Master Jiraiya about this first Lady Tsunade?'' Katsuyu pleaded.

''Pain is the leader of the Akatsuki. You may not be able to take him alone Lady Hokage!'' the ANBU protested.

''I am the only one who can go!'' Tsunade retorted angrily.

''I will not involve other villages or Jiraiya in this! Pain has focused on Konohagakure for far too long. I cannot allow the other nations to see our weakness or allow Jiraiya to risk his life for the sake of the village,'' she said firmly.

''Now go!'' she barked.

Katsuyu bowed in resignation, absorbing the scroll into her body.

''Yes Lady Tsunade. As you wish.'' Katsuyu disappeared in a puff of smoke.

''You may go too,'' Tsunade said to the ANBU, her voice softening slightly.

The ANBU nodded and turned to leave before swinging back to face Tsunade.

''Lady Hokage, the person who attacked our squad was not Pain. It was a woman who used a jutsu derived from paper.''

''I see,'' Tsunade said. Every word was short and clipped.

''She was extremely powerful, but she was referred to as a mere Angel. From the information we gathered, Pain was the God she served.'' The ANBU slowly melted into the ground, disappearing completely.

Tsunade stood there looking out the window, her eyes unseeing. If the Angel could destroy some of Konohagakure's best shinobi with ease, then she wondered what the God would be like.

The smear of blood she had left on the table caught her eye. The war had just begun and her blood was drawn. More blood would be spilled soon. But from which side?

_Author's Note: This first chapter was short, so I hope it isn't too boring. The next chapter will be a bit faster paced and far longer. Please review as I want to see where I can improve. Thanks!_


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